Eastman alumni garner Grammy nods

The Eastman School of Music is well represented among Grammy nominations, as four alums were named as nominees on Thursday.

Eastman School of Music graduate Robert Ludwig got four nominations, and alumni Renee Fleming, Bill Cunliffe and Gene Scheer also were nominated in the 55th Annual Grammy Awards competition.

Ludwig will be competing against himself in two categories, Eastman School officials noted. He was nominated in the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical category for his work on Ashes & Fire and on Love is a Four Letter Word. He is also listed as the mastering engineer for two albums up for Album of the Year: Mumford & Sons’ “Babel” and Jack White’s “Blunderbuss.”

Fleming received a nomination for Best Classical Vocal Solo for “Poemes,” her album of French songs by Ravel, Messiaen and Dutilleux. Composer, arranger and pianist Cunliffe was nominated in the Best Instrumental Composition category for his work Overture, Waltz and Rondo.

Scheer, an opera librettist, is competing in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category for “August 4, 1964,” a concert drama written with composer Steven Stucky.

Two recordings with Eastman musicians were also among the 10 albums listed for Dan Merceruio’s Classical Producer of the Year nomination, Eastman officials noted.